Portable container for fishing tackle and the like

ABSTRACT

A portable container for fishing tackle and the like is described, in which tiers of trays are provided, with the uppermost tray in each tier having a lid, these uppermost trays being so arranged and hinged to other trays as to be movable into contiguity with each other, whereby the lids conjointly provide a table of substantial size for various purposes. The arrangement, moreover, is such as to permit the contents of more than one tray in each tier to be simultaneously examined by a fisherman, to thereby facilitate and extend his range of selection of baits, etc. The lids may also be made of a transparent plastic, to thereby enable the contents of the trays covered by said lids to be examined without opening the lids.

United States Pate Meksula 3,713,529 Jan. 30, 1973 PrimaryExaminer-William T. Dixson,.1r

[76] lnventor: Bernard Meksula, 13215 Maplerow Ave., Garfield Heights,Ohio 44105 Ammey Isle [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT [21]App-l. No.: 118,439 A portable container for fishing tackle and the likeis described, in which tiers of trays are provided, with the uppermosttray in each tier having a lid, these up- [52] US. Cl ..206/16 R,190/11, 312/272 permost trays being so arranged and hinged to other [5CI. trays as to be movable into contiguity i each other, [58] held ofSearch 16 l2; whereby the lids conjointly provide a table of substan-190/30? 43/57-5 R; 312/294 tial size for various purposes. Thearrangement, moreover, is such as to permit the contents of more l56lReferences C'ted than one tray in each tier to be simultaneously ex-UNITED STATES PATENTS amined by a fisherman, to thereby facilitate andextend his range of selection of baits, etc. The lids may 2,936,0665/1960 Meksula ..206/16 R also be made of a transparent plastic, tothereby ena- 2,055,657 9/1936 ble the contents of the trays covered bysaid lids to be 3,113,817 12/1963 examined without opening the lids.

891,103 6/1908 2,370,941 3/1945 Dawson ..206/12 5 Claims, 12 DrawingFigures l 686067636l 6585828481 I 78 l 53 74 7673 I I/ 42 l i 50 s|\ w54 49 54 48 59 1 0 7 77 500 I 0J7 b 5 V I'AIEN'I'lilmnao mm 3.713.529

sum 2 BF 5 2 3 |Q A404227253 26 I? INVEHTOR. BERNARD MEKSULA ike, 59%

ATTORNEYS 1 Pmmmmaown 3.713.529

SHLU [1F 5 BERNARD MEKSULA HY ATTORNEYS PORTABLE CONTAINER FOR FISHINGTACKLE AND THE LIKE In my U.S. Pat. No. 2,936,066, a portable containerfor fishing tackle and other purposes is disclosed, having a body ofrectangular box-like form comprising a bottom, sides and ends. Arectangular cover is hingedly secured to the upper edge of each of saidsides, each cover comprising a side wall, a top and ends, said coversmovable to a closed position in which the covers meet along a planesubstantially perpendicular to said bottom, and to an open position inwhich the side walls of the covers extend substantially parallel withsaid bottom.

The container of said patent is further characterized by the fact thatthere is disposed within each cover a tier of trays, as well as a lidfor closing the uppermost tray in each tier. Each tray has a bottom,sides and ends, with one side of each tray being hingedly secured to thecorresponding side of the tray underneath, and each lid is hingedlysecured to the uppermost tray at the same side that each tray ishingedly secured to the tray therebeneath.

Locking means are provided for permitting access to any desired tray,and when access to the trays is desired, one or both of the covers isdisposed in a horizontal or open position, the covers being supported insuch position by means of a leg or strut pivotally secured to each ofthe covers externally of the covers, and which is movable to a verticalposition.

It is desirable, at times, to utilize the lids of the containerconjointly in such a manner as to provide a small, yet ample size, tableor support for the purpose of playing cards, as a lunch table, or forpreparing baits and other fishing tackle, but due to the fact that thelids of the container of the aforesaid patent are not coplanar, when thecovers are in open position, as well as the fact that even if the lidswere coplanar, they would, if opened, overlap each other and thusprovide a surface no larger than that provided by a single lid, thecontainer of that patent would not be very satisfactory for suchpurposes.

It is also desirable, at times, for the fisherman, to be able tosimultaneously inspect the bait or other contents of more than one trayof each tier of trays, but this is virtually impossible to do with thecontainer of the aforesaid patent.

The present invention has, as its primary object, the

provision of a portable container of the character described, havinglids which can be arranged or disposed conjointly or in edge-to-edgerelation to provide a table of substantial size or area for the purposeof playing cards thereon, for utilizing the table as a lunch or foodtable, for preparing baits and other fishing tackle, and for numerousother purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable container ofthe character described, in which the contents of more than one tray ineach tier of trays can be simultaneously examined by the fisherman tothereby facilitate and extend his range of selection.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of thecharacter described, in which the lids are made of a transparent plasticor like material, whereby the lids not only serve the purposes referredto above, but also enable the contents of the trays covered by said lidsto be examined or viewed, without opening the lids.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container of thecharacter described, in which the covers are maintained in their openpositions by means which are not external to the container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during thecourse of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of container, inclosed condition;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the container of FIG. 1, as viewedfrom the left of FIG. 1, and showing, in broken lines, the covers of thecontainer in their open position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the container of FIG. 3, with the covers inopen position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but with the upper trays in eachtier of trays moved to positions alongside the trays therebeneath;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 6 6 of FIG. 5;

FiG. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 7 -7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 88 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 9-9 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing a modification of theinvention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line llll of FIG. 10,and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken on the line 1212ofFIG. 10.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 9 inclusive of the drawings,the fishing tackle box will be seen to comprise a body or lower portion,generally designated by reference numeral 1, and cover or lid portions,generally designated by reference characters 2 and 3 respectively.

' The body 1 is of rectangular box-like form, molded or formed ofplastic or other material, and comprises a bottom 4, sides 5 and 6, andends 7 and 8. The body portion 1 is also provided with a horizontalflange or shoulder 9 which extends completely around the body The cover2, which is also molded or formed of the same plastic or material as thebody 1, comprises a top 10, a side wall 11, ends 12 and 13, and a flange14, which extends around the side wall 11 and ends 12 and 13.

For the purpose of pivotally connecting or hinging the cover or lidportion 2 to the body or lower portion I of the box, the flange orshoulder 9 of the latter has formed integrally therewith upstandingspaced hinge plates I5, 16, 17 and 18 (see FIG. 2), and the flange 14 ofthe cover 2 is provided with depending hinge plate portions 19, 20, 21,22 and 23, and a hinge pin 24 is provided (see FIG. 3) which extendsthrough all of the hinge plates 15 to 23 inclusive.

The cover 3, which is also molded or formed of the same plastic ormaterial as the body 1 and cover 2, comprises a top 25, a side wall 26,ends 27 and 28, and

a flange 29 which extends around the side wall 26 and ends 27 and 28.

For the purpose of pivotally connecting or hinging the cover or lidportion 3 to the body or lower portion 1 of the box, the flange orshoulder 9 of the latter has formed integrally therewith upstandinghinge plates 30, 31, 32 and 33 (see FIG. 2), and the flange 29 of thecover 3 is provided with depending hinge plate portions 34, 35, 36, 37and 38, and a hinge pin 39 is provided (see FIG. 3) which extendsthrough all of the hinge plates 30 to 38 inclusive.

When the covers 2 and 3 are in closed position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2and 3, they rest on the flange or shoulder 9 of the body 1, and in thisposition, it is to be noted, that they meet substantially along a planeA-A (FIG. 3) which is not only substantially perpendicular to the bottom4 of the body 1, but also lies substantially along the longitudinalcenter line of the bottom 4. Since the covers 2 and 3 are ofsubstantially the same dimensions, the volumetric space within each ofthe covers is substantially the same, so that each cover providessubstantially the same amount of space for a tier of trays to bepresently described as the other cover provides. This, plus the factthat each of the covers, when in closed position, has a width,transversely of the body 1, of about one-half the transverse width ofthe body 1, makes possible certain features of the invention to bepresently described.

With the covers 2 and 3 in closed position, they may be latched orlocked to each other by means of toggle clamps or locks, generallyindicated by reference numerals 40 and 41. The details of such clamps orlocks form no part of the present invention, and need not, therefore, befurther described, although the construction and operation of suchclamps can be understood be reference to my US. Pat. No. 3,606,005,issued Sept. 20, 1971, for Fishing Tackle Box.

With the covers in closed and locked position, the box may be carried bymeans of a handle 42, which is pivotally connected to the cover 3 of thebox.

When the covers 2 and 3 are in fully open position, as shown in FIG. 4,they are retained in such position by means of connector bars or links43, which are pivotally connected to pivot pins 44 which are secured tothe ends 7 and 8 of the. body 1. These bars or links are provided withslots 45 through which extend pins 46, which are riveted to the ends ofthe covers 2 and 3. With the covers in fully open position, the pins 46engage the outer ends of the slots 45 to thus limit further outwardmovement of the covers, and when the covers are moved to closedposition, the pins 46 move along the slots.

With the covers 2 and 3 in fully open position, the side walls 1 l and26 are not only substantially coplanar but also lie in planessubstantially parallel with the plane of the bottom 4 of the body 1.

Disposed within the cover 2 is a tier of trays 47 and 48, the tray 48being superimposed on the tray 47.

The tray 47 consists of a bottom 49, sides 50 and 51, and ends 52 and53, the tray being supported adjacent the side wall 11 of' the cover bymeans of rivets 54 which extend through the ends 12 and 13 of the coverand into the ends 52 and 53 of the tray.

The side 50 of the tray has an inwardly offset portion 50a whichprovides a recess 54a for an upstanding latch plate 55, of plasticmaterial, which is riveted to the portion 500 by means of rivets 58, andserves a purpose to be presently described.

The tray 48 is in inverted relation to the tray 47, and comprises abottom 59, sides 60 and 61 and ends 62 and 63. The side 60 is hinged(see FIG. 7) at its lower edge to the upper edge of the side 51 of thetray 47, so that the tray 48 may be rotated about the hinge to aposition as shown in FIG. 6, parallel with the bottom 4 of the body 1and alongside the tray 47. The side 61 has an inwardly offset portion611 a which provides a recess 64 for a keeper plate 65, of plasticmaterial, which is riveted to the portion 61a.

When the tray 48 is superimposed on the tray 47 the latch plate 55engages the keeper plate 65 to thereby maintain the tray 48 latched tothe tray 47. However, since the tray 48 is in inverted relation to thetray 47 it is necessary to provide means to prevent the contents of thetray 48 from falling out. For this purpose, a lid 67 is provided, whichis hinged (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to the lower edge of the side 61 of thetray 48, to that when the tray 48 overlies the tray 47, the lid 67 isdisposed between the trays 47 and 48, to prevent the contents of thetray 48 from falling out.

A latch plate 68 (FIGS. 5 and 7) is secured to the side 60 of the tray48 by means of rivets 69, and serves as a means of resiliently latchingthe lid 67 to the tray 48.

Disposed within the cover 3 is a tier of trays 70 and 71, the tray 71being superimposed on the tray 70.

The tray 70 consists of a bottom 72, sides 73 and 74, and ends 75 and76, the tray being supported adjacent the side wall 26 of the cover 3 bymeans of rivets 77 which extend through the ends 27 and 28 of the coverand into the ends 75 and 76 of the tray.

The side 73 of the tray has an inwardly offset portion 73a, whichprovides a recess for an upstanding latch plate 78, of plastic material,which is riveted to the position 73a by means of rivets, and serves apurpose to be presently described.

The tray 71 is in inverted relation to the tray 70, and comprises abottom 80, sides'81 and 82 and ends 83 and 84. The side 81 is hinged atits lower edge to the upper edge of the side 74 of the tray 70, so thatthe tray 71 may be rotated about the hinge to a position as shown inFIG. 6, parallel with the bottom 4 of the body 1, and alongside the tray70. The side 82 has an inwardly offset portion 82a which provides arecess for a keeper plate 85 of plastic material which is riveted to theposition 82a.

When the tray 71 is superimposed on the tray 70, the latch plate 78engages the keeper plate 85 to thereby maintain the tray 71 latched tothe tray 70. However, since the tray 71 is in inverted relation to thetray 70, it is necessary to provide means to prevent the contents of thetray from falling out. For this purpose, a lid 86 is provided, which ishinged to the lower edge of the side 82 of the tray 71, so that when thetray 71 overlies the tray 70, the lid 86 is disposed between the trays70 and 71, to prevent the contents of the tray 71 from falling out. I

' A latch plate 87 is secured to the side 81 of the tray 71 by means ofrivets, and serves as a means of resiliently latching the lid 86 to thetray 71.

When the covers 2 and 3 are in open position, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and6, the trays 48 and 71 may be moved about their hinges to a position, asshown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in which the lids 67 and 86 are not onlycoplanar, but lie in substantially edge to edge contiguity with eachother. This is made possible by the fact that each of the covers, has awidth transversely of the body of about one-half of the transverse widthof the body, and by the fact that the lids 67 and 86 similarly have awidth of about one-half of the transverse width of the body.

This coplanarity and contiguity of the lids provides a substantiallyrectangular table of substantial size or area, upon which cards may beplayed, or food served, or baits and other fishing tackle prepared foruse.

This arrangement also permits the lids to be lifted, so as to expose forinspection by the fisherman, the contents of the trays 48 and 71 at thesame time that the contents of the trays 47 and 70 are being examined orinspected.

If desired, the lids may be made of a transparent plastic, in whichcase, it is not even necessary to lift the lids 67 and 86 for thepurpose of inspecting the contents of the underlying trays.

Moreover, through the use of the connector bars or links 43, the covers2 and 3 are retained in fully open position, without the use of theexposed legs or struts of the box of my aforesaid patent.

It is to be further noted that when the box is closed, the trays do notextend into the body 1 of the box, so that all of this body portion ofthe box is left free for carrying various articles, other than tackle,which are normally carried by fishermen, such as a Thermos bottle,certain articles of clothing, etc.

In FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, a modification is shown, in which the containeris generally similar in construction to that of the container of FIGS. 1to 9.

In this case, however, there is disposed within the cover 2 a tier oftrays 90, 91 and 92. The trays 90 and 91 are open at the top, and thetray 91 is superimposed on the tray 90, and is hingedly secured to thelatter at 93. The tray 90 is rigidly supported within the cover 2 in thesame manner that the tray 47 is supported in the previously describedform of the invention.

The tray 92 is in inverted relation to the tray 91, and is hinged to thelatter as at 94.

A latch plate 95 is secured to the tray 90 and is used to resilientlylatch the tray 91 to the tray 90, when the tray 91 is insuperimposedrelation to the tray 90. A lid 96 is provided for the tray 92 to preventthe contents of the tray 92 from falling out when the tray 92 issuperimposed on the tray 91. The lid 96 is also hinged to the tray 91 asat 94. In other words, the hinge for the lid 96 is at the opposite sideof the tray that the lid 67 (FIG. 6) is in relation to the tray 48, sothat the lid 96 is rotated about its hinge in a counter-clockwisedirection (as viewed in FIG. 1 1) to open the lid.

The lid 96 is latched to the tray 92 by means of a resilient latch plate97.

There is disposed within the cover 3 a tier of trays 100, 101 and 102.The trays 100 and 101 are open at the top, and the tray 101 issuperimposed on the tray 100 and is hingedly secured to the latter at103. The tray 100 is rigidly supported within the cover 2 in the samemanner that the tray 70 is supported in the previously described form ofthe invention.

The tray 102 is in inverted relation to the tray 101 and is hinged tothe latter as at 104.

A latch plate 105 is secured to the tray and is used to resilientlylatch the tray 101 to the tray 100, when the tray 101 is in superposedrelation to the tray 100. A lid 106 is provided for the tray 102, toprevent the contents of the tray 102 from falling out when the tray 102is superimposed on the tray 101. The lid 106 is also hinged to the tray101 as at 104. The hinge for the lid 106 is thus at the opposite side ofthe tray that the lid 86 (FIG. 6) is in relation to the tray 71, so thatthe lid 106 is rotated about its hinge in a clockwise direction (asviewed in FIG. 11) to open the lid.

The lid 106 is latched to the tray 102 by means of a resilient latchplate 107, similar to the latch plate 97.

For the purpose of latching the tray 102 to the tray 101, a latch plate108 (see FIGS. 10 and 12) is provided, which is secured to the tray 101,and for the purpose of latching the tray 92 to the tray 91, a similarlatch plate 109 (see FIG. 10) is provided, which is secured to the tray91.

When the covers 2 and 3 are in open position, as shown in FIGS. 10 and11, the trays 92 and 102 may be moved about their hinges to the positionshown in these figures, in which the lids 96 and 106 are not onlycoplanar, but lie in edge-to-edge contiguity with each other.

In this manner, all of the advantages previously described withreference to FIGS. 1 to 9 are also found in the modified form ofinvention.

A feature of the present box is the fact that if the box, in opencondition, is overturned, none of the trays will open, so that the box,in effect, is spillproof, and the contents of the trays will not fallout.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention, herewith shownand described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, andthat various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement ofparts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a portable container of the character described, a body ofsubstantially rectangular box-like form comprising a bottom, sides andends, a cover hingedly secured to the upper edge of each of said sides,each cover comprising a side wall, a top and ends, said covers movableto a closed position in whichthe covers meet along a plane substantiallyperpendicular to said bottom and which plane substantially intersectsthe longitudinal center line of said bottom, and to an open position inwhich the sides of the covers lie in planes substantially parallel withsaid bottom, said covers, when in open position, being of substantiallythe same depth, a tier of trays mounted in each cover, with theuppermost tray in each tier being hingedly connected to the trayimmediately therebeneath, whereby said uppermost trays are movable to aposition alongside the tray immediately therebeneath, and, when thecovers are in open position, substantially fill the space between thetrays alongside which they lie.

2. A container, as defined in claim 1, wherein said uppermost trays areprovided with lids which are hingedly secured to the uppermost trays,said lids conjointly providing a substantially flat continuous surface.

3. A container, as defined in claim 2, wherein said uppermost trays ineach tier are in inverted relation to means for latching the uppermosttrays to the trays immediately therebeneath.

5. A container, as defined in claim 4, including means for latching saidlids to said uppermost trays.

1. In a portable container of the character described, a body ofsubstantially rectangular box-like form comprising a bottom, sides andends, a cover hingedly secured to the upper edge of each of said sides,each cover comprising a side wall, a top and ends, said covers movableto a closed position in which the covers meet along a planesubstantially perpendicular to said bottom and which plane substantiallyintersects the longitudinal center line of said bottom, and to an openposition in which the sides of the covers lie in planes substantiallyparallel with said bottom, said covers, when in open position, being ofsubstantially the same depth, a tier of trays mounted in each cover,with the uppermost tray in each tier being hingedly connected to thetray immediately therebeneath, whereby said uppermost trays are movableto a position alongside the tray immediately therebeneath, and, when thecovers are in open position, substantially fill the space between thetrays alongside which they lie.
 1. In a portable container of thecharacter described, a body of substantially rectangular box-like formcomprising a bottom, sides and ends, a cover hingedly secured to theupper edge of each of said sides, each cover comprising a side wall, atop and ends, said covers movable to a closed position in which thecovers meet along a plane substantially perpendicular to said bottom andwhich plane substantially intersects the longitudinal center line ofsaid bottom, and to an open position in which the sides of the coverslie in planes substantially parallel with said bottom, said covers, whenin open position, being of substantially the same depth, a tier of traysmounted in each cover, with the uppermost tray in each tier beinghingedly connected to the tray immediately therebeneath, whereby saiduppermost trays are movable to a position alongside the tray immediatelytherebeneath, and, when the covers are in open position, substantiallyfill the space between the trays alongside which they lie.
 2. Acontainer, as defined in claim 1, wherein said uppermost trays areprovided with lids which are hingedly secured to the uppermost trays,said lids conjointly providing a substantially flat continuous surface.3. A container, as defined in claim 2, wherein said uppermost trays ineach tier are in inverted relation to the trays immediatelytherebeneath, and said lids are effective to prevent the contents ofsaid uppermost trays from falling into the trays immediatelytherebeneath.
 4. A container, as defined in claim 3, including means forlatching the uppermost trays to the trays immediately therebeneath.